Lac Île-à-la-Crosse[2] is a Y-shaped lake in the north-central region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan along the course of the Churchill River.

Situated at the confluence of the Churchill and Beaver Rivers, the lake was an important fur trading centre in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Churchill River exits the north-east arm of Lac Île-à-la-Crosse and flows east to Hudson Bay through a series of lakes.

Once trade was developed, pemmican was carried up the Beaver River from the buffalo country on the North Saskatchewan.

In 1767 Louis Primeau, in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, was reported on the Beaver River which means he must have passed through the lake.

Around 1786, the Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie, working for Gregory & McLeod, competed with Patrick Small of the North West Company (NWC).

Most of the posts were located near the town of Île-à-la-Crosse, but either the NWC or the XY Company seems to have had a place on the west side of the mouth of the Beaver River.

[9][11] Ile a la Crosse War Veterans Park Campground, also known as Lac Île-à-la-Crosse (South Bay) Recreation Site (55°21′21″N 107°52′03″W / 55.3559°N 107.8676°W / 55.3559; -107.8676),[12] is a provincial recreation site situated on the western shore of Lac Île-à-la-Crosse's South Bay.

The park has 22 free, un-serviced campsites, two sandy beaches, a floating dock, and a boat launch.